


A Change in Routine

by fightingforahappyending



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Multi, Reader Is Not Chara (Undertale), Reader Is Not Frisk (Undertale), Reader-Insert, Reverse Harem, Slow Burn, There will be romance, and more skeletons, but i'll wait until they're here to tag them, reader has a sister, so much fluff and friendship, there will be more tags added later, you just gotta wait
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-16
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:54:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22273663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fightingforahappyending/pseuds/fightingforahappyending
Summary: It doesn't take long for a boring routine and loneliness to take its toll on you. Without your sister around to keep things interesting, you're desperate for something new in your life to bring some energy back into it.So when a mysterious group of skeleton monsters moves in to the manor near your home/business, you feel a spark of hope that you may find what you're looking for with them.
Relationships: Papyrus (Horrortale)/Reader, Papyrus (Swapfell)/Reader, Papyrus (Underswap)/Reader, Papyrus (Undertale)/Reader, Papyrus (underfell)/reader, Sans (Horrortale)/Reader, Sans (Swapfell)/Reader, Sans (Underfell)/Reader, Sans (Underswap)/Reader, Sans (Undertale)/Reader
Comments: 57
Kudos: 177





	1. New Neighbors

**Author's Note:**

> My first multi-chapter fic in a looooong time, I hope you can have as much fun reading this as I had writing it!

If there is one thing that you’re sure of, it’s that any routine will rapidly become boring when abided by too strictly. Boredom doesn’t take long to become an awful combination of mind numbing and excruciating. Day in, day out, the same things happen over and over and over again. Wake up, open your store, deal with the same customers saying the exact same things they always do, close your store, and pass out as soon as you had the chance to rest. Rinse and repeat.  
Soon you’ll become desperate for even a slight variable regardless of how minor. Now, something as trivial as your sign falling off its hooks with a resounding ‘thunk’ was borderline exciting (granted with how frequently this happens it’s practically a routine in and of itself but you’re choosing to not acknowledge that yet). 

The door chimes as you throw it open. You’re immediately met with a harsh gust of wind, no doubt the culprit behind your fallen sign. Kneeling down, you grab the plaque and check it for damage. One of these days it’s going to break, but thankfully that day wasn’t today. ‘Written in Scone’ was neatly engraved into the varnished wood in an appealing curvy font. With a huff, you lift it up onto the hooks that are supposed to support it, but in reality rarely hold up against the wind. “And… there we go.”

Just like that, your brief moment of what you’re ashamed to call ‘excitement’ ends. Great. It’s been a slow day at your combination bookstore and bakery, so there was truly nothing around to distract yourself with. The store itself was immaculate, as was the kitchen, and it was too quiet to bother with baking anything else. As it was, you know you’re going to be boxing up and marking down more pastries than you would like to try and sell again tomorrow. Rather than wallowing in your own boredom inside, you elect to enjoy the chilly October air for a moment longer. 

The store (which doubles as your home) is located at the base of a small mountain in a heavily forested area. Evergreens surrounded you and filled the air with the crisp, earthy scent of pine needles. The location was just slightly outside of town, enough to give you a sense of privacy, but not enough to deter business. Granted, when you first opened shop, there were some concerns that it wouldn’t thrive. Being new in a small town was an intimidating sensation on its own, but trying to promote a store and create a strong clientele base was downright terrifying. If your younger sister, Liz, hadn’t been there to act as your own personal cheerleader you know you wouldn’t have commited and gone through with it. After having a few mini bake sales in the town center, customers began showing up to the real location, eager to see what other pastries they could find there. Then the local diner started purchasing some desserts to sell in place of the frozen cakes and pies they’d been getting before that, and business really spiked after that.

Having your sister around to help with the minding the register while you were in the kitchen had helped to run things smoothly. Plus her infectiously positive personality always improved your mood. However, all good things must come to an end, and she had to get on with her own life. Now she’s three hours away attending a nursing school. Not that you’re upset about her doing that, of course you’re not, you couldn’t be prouder of her. It’s just become so damn boring without her around. The small house felt larger and emptier in her absence, and the silence was absolutely deafening. You’d give anything to have some noise around here again.

As if the fates themselves heard you, you pick up on the faint sound of vehicles heading your way. You can’t see them yet, what with all the trees in the way, but you can clearly hear multiple cars heading towards you, possibly some trucks based on how loud they are. Holding out hope that you’re finally about to get some customers today, you lean over the railing of the front porch to get a better look. The rumbling sound of the engines was getting closer, they should be rounding the corner any second now.

When they did round the corner, it was surprising to see multiple moving trucks, followed by some smaller, personal use cars. Not many people came to this town even in passing, much less decide to move here. They’re probably going to the next town over, that one’s much bigger. It’s got a fastfood place and everything. Y’know, the works. Instead of passing by like anticipated, the moving trucks turn onto the road just before your shop. Odd. It goes up the mountain, but there isn’t anything up there except… Oh. Well this day just got a lot more interesting, now didn’t it?

Way back in the day, the early 1900’s if the locals were accurate, a somewhat wealthy pair of brothers were poking around the cave system at the top of the mountain. As luck would have it, they found out it was a coal mine. It didn’t take long for them to hire miners to start clearing it out for all it was worth, rapidly turning their moderate wealth into one to be envied by all. Naturally, their first order of business was to build an absurdly large mansion atop the mountain to ‘keep an eye on their workers’ and totally not to flaunt their wealth. The mansion was visible to everyone in the poverty-stricken town below. Needless to say, these brothers weren’t very well liked.

But it would seem their luck was a finite source, much like the mine as it would turn out. They’d jumped the gun in assuming that mine was the endless source of wealth they thought it to be. Not long after the mansion was completed, the mine was picked clean, and no attempts to locate more coal were successful. Did the brothers cut their losses and move on to other projects? Nope! Instead, they insisted on making the miners dig deeper and deeper into the mines with cheaper and cheaper equipment. Tragedy struck a mere couple of weeks into the search when the mine collapsed with eleven miners inside. There were no survivors. Those that weren’t crushed under the falling debris died of thirst before rescue could dig them out five days later.

The locals were quick to blame the brothers and demand justice. The brothers disappeared shortly after that, and the general consensus is that they were killed by the families of the victims and buried somewhere in the expansive forest. Between them and the dead miners, the whole mountain is said to be haunted, not that you ever noticed anything particularly ghostly. Regardless, it was a popular ghost story to be told around the fire on camping trips. Or to just scare kids and keep them out of the woods.

The mansion went uninhabited for decades. There was an attempt to turn it into a bed and breakfast back in the 80’s, but the owner could not get enough people in there to make up for the cost of repairing and renovating the old building. It’s been empty ever since then with no one interested in buying the seemingly cursed manor.

As fun as it was to think about the extremely haunted history of your surroundings, a car had pulled up and it was time to get back to doing your job. The customer was a regular, a middle-aged single mother in the throws of empty nest syndrome. She rarely bought any books, instead preferring to flip through one while eating some pastries and sipping coffee from the self-serve drink station. Odds are she just comes here to escape the silence of her home. Something you have come to understand all too well. “Hello, (Y/N), slow day?”

“You hit the nail on the head, Susie.” Pushing off from the railing, you held open the front door for her. “Say, have you heard anything about someone buying that old manor on the mountain?” Staying on top of gossip has never been your forte, it’s really no surprise that something like this would fly right under your radar. The good thing (and sometimes bad thing if you were trying to keep things under wraps) is that news travels fast in small towns, so surely someone has to know about these new mystery neighbors of yours.

“No, I can’t say I have. Why do you ask?” She shot you a puzzled look. Damn, the rumor mill must be slacking off today. Truly a rare occurrence. 

“A few minutes before you got here, I spotted some moving trucks going up the mountain. Thought you might’ve heard something about it,” you casually explain. In truth you weren’t too terribly invested in whoever these new people were, but there was still some curiosity in what they would be like. Ideally they would either keep to themselves or maybe even become regulars at your store if you were lucky. On the flipside, they could be a bunch of rich, entitled pricks that would be nothing more than a headache. 

“You did?” Susie gets an excited gleam in her eyes from the juicy piece of gossip you just dropped on her. She ceased her perusing of the bakery case and hurried over to the window facing the mountain. “Oh! I can see them parked at the top!” She sounded downright giddy at the prospect of new people in town. She remained at the window for a minute longer before turning back to you. “They’re too far away for me to make out anyone, I wonder who they could be,” she pondered while picking out a couple of danishes to snack on.

“Not a clue, I just hope they’re decent.” Even if they weren’t, it’s not like there was much anyone could do about it. If they had enough money to purchase the manor, they had enough money to get away with acting however they so please. Perhaps this was a pessimistic way of thinking about some people you’ve never even met, but a good dose of pessimism was healthy in your humble opinion. Maybe they’ll prove you wrong later, maybe they’ll prove you right. Only time will tell, and until then you weren’t going to stress yourself out about it.

The rest of the day went by normally. A few more customers milled in and out, and Susie took it as her personal duty to tell each and every one of them about the new neighbors you’d acquired. It seems like no one knew about anyone moving in, further adding to the mystery surrounding them. As much as you loathed to get interested in the local gossip, you can’t help but tune in to what they’re saying. Perhaps you were more bored than you had thought yourself to be. Maybe you were just that lonely.

Eventually the day came to an end and you locked up the store at six. Thoroughly exhausted, you attempted to hurry through the nightly routine. Cleaning tables, putting away any left out books, storing leftover pastries, and the general cleaning of the store and kitchen. By the time all was said and done, it was past seven. If you were quick with showering and “cooking” your dinner (microwaving a frozen meal), you might have some time to relax or something. Or just pass out as soon as you sit down like you usually do. Oh the joys of being the sole employee of a business. 

\---

You woke with a start at the sound of your alarm. Groaning in pain, you half-heartedly massaged your neck, looks like you passed out on the couch again. The TV was still on in the background, playing some show you didn’t recognize. Good thing you set your alarm before sitting down. Checking your phone, the time displayed across the screen was 4:30. That gave you half an hour to get dressed and make yourself at least vaguely presentable. And maybe eat something. A snort came out at the mere thought, it’s not like you’ve ever had time for that before. It didn’t take long to be stumbling down the staircase that separates your home from your job. It was a little concerning to have your home and place of business be the same place, especially when there was a creepy customer trying to get a bit too friendly, but so far nothing serious had happened. A fact you were grateful for but knew better than to take for granted. 

After double checking that you had locked all the locks on the door at the base of the stairs, it was time to get the work day started. Fortunately, some stuff was already made and set out to thaw in the fridge overnight, so all that required was some time in the oven. Muffins still needed to be made from scratch though, as did the various cookies and cakes that would be made later in the day. 

Baking has been a hobby for most of your life, it was something you always enjoyed and strived to improve at. Even as a little kid, you could be found in the kitchen mixing together a box of cake mix or a simple batch of cookies for your sister and yourself to enjoy. Seeing the way her eyes widened when she bit into whatever you made never failed to warm your heart. Of course it was nice to see your customer’s pleased expressions from your treats too, but it didn’t have quite the same effect.

Hazarding a glance at the clock, you saw it was a quarter till six, leaving a mere fifteen minutes to ice the pastries and get everything loaded into the cases. You’ve done all that in less time before, so it’s not concerning. You’re flinging around some icing and chucking the dishes into the sink to worry about later, and now the cases are being loaded with a few minutes to spare. Allowing a quick once over of the store to make sure nothing was left undone, you deemed everything Good Enough™ and opened the store for the day. It’s usually quiet for a while right after you opened, giving you time to clean those aforementioned dishes. 

Not today though.

You weren’t even ten feet from the door when the chime alerted you to it being opened. Was it not closed properly? Before you could even turn around, a booming voice assaulted your unsuspecting ears.

“GOOD MORNING HUMAN NEIGHBOR!”

Naturally, a shriek erupted from your throat and you whipped around so fast that you lost your balance, effectively making only the best of first impressions to your loud visitor, you’re sure. Rather than falling flat on your ass like you should have, a pair of strong, gloved hands grasped your shoulders and set you back on your feet. You couldn’t help but stare at your savior. He was a very tall, very smiley skeleton monster. Don’t see one of those every day. His already huge grin widened at you, “APOLOGIES FOR STARTLING YOU TINY HUMAN, I WAS SIMPLY VERY EXCITED TO FINALLY MEET MY NEW NEIGHBOR. I WOULD HAVE INTRODUCED MYSELF YESTERDAY, BUT UNPACKING TOOK LONGER THAN EXPECTED AND I’VE BEEN TOLD HUMANS DON’T CONSIDER THREE IN THE MORNING TO BE AN APPROPRIATE TIME FOR FRIEND MAKING.” Most monsters probably don’t either, but it’d be rude to interrupt him with that right now. He took a step back and gestured to himself in a grand flourish, “I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS!”

“AND I AM THE MAGNIFICENT SA-” A new skeleton that you had yet to take notice of leapt out from behind Papyrus, coughing before restarting, “I AM THE MAGNIFICENT SCOUT! IT’S VERY NICE TO MEET YOU!” He was considerably shorter than the first skeleton, only being around the same height as yourself. Maybe a little taller, but not by much. However, he still radiated the same kind of energy as Papyrus. Both were outfitted with jogging gear. Who goes jogging this early in the morning? They could be sleeping right now but they’re not. Ridiculous.

“Uh… G-Good morning,” you eventually said back, albeit very quietly. You cleared your throat and spoke up, “Thanks for catching me… Sorry I kinda screamed at you.” It’s not like you’d never seen a monster before or anything, it was just very startling to see a walking talking skeleton right in front of you like that. Though monsters weren’t very common in rural areas, so you suppose you wouldn’t know much about what forms to expect monsters to come in.

“THAT’S ALRIGHT! SEEING SOMEONE AS SPECTACULAR AS MYSELF FOR THE FIRST TIME WOULD SURPRISE ANYONE!” Well at least he didn’t seem offended by your reaction. “SO WHAT IS YOUR NAME, HUMAN?”

Oh, right. You haven’t introduced yourself yet. Extending a hand to Papyrus, you amended that, “I’m (Y/N), it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintances.” Papyrus shook your hand so vigorously you almost fell over again. Scout had a more controlled handshake, but his grip was borderline crushing. Now that he was right in front of you, you had a better chance to look him over. While Papyrus had a more lanky build to him, Scout was short but solidly built. His bones were noticeably thicker than Papyrus’s and he somehow appeared to be a little chubby despite being just bones. Huh. You have some questions about how skeleton anatomy works, but now is not the time to ask.

“I HOPE WE CAN BECOME THE BEST OF FRIENDS, (Y/N)!” Scout smiled enthusiastically while looking around your store. His gaze locked onto the case full of pastries, “WHAT AN AMAZING STORE YOU HAVE, YOU MUST BE VERY PROUD OF IT.” He strolled over to it and began rummaging through the trays.

While he was doing that, Papyrus was power walking through the aisles of books. He looked over to you, “WHAT KIND OF PUZZLE BOOKS DO YOU HAVE HERE? AND WHERE ARE THEY? UNLESS FINDING THEM IS A PUZZLE ITSELF, IN WHICH CASE DON’T TELL ME THE ANSWER, I’D LIKE TO SOLVE THAT ON MY OWN.” Not waiting for a response, he kept on walking.

You chuckled, “Sorry, no puzzles quite like that, but I’ve got a few books down on the end over there. Just the usual kinds of puzzle books, word searches, cryptograms, crosswords-”

Papyrus scoffed at that, “AS IF I WOULD LOWER MYSELF TO DOING A CROSSWORD PUZZLE! I WILL BE PURCHASING A FEW OF THESE WORD SEARCHES THOUGH.” He proceeded to grab one of each that you had.

Alright, this might be the earliest you’ve ever had a sale. Not that you’re complaining, at least your neighbors seem to be nice enough. Scout already had some baked goods piled onto the counter, waiting patiently for you to get everything rung up for him. “DID YOU MAKE THESE YOURSELF?”

“Sure did! Everything here is homemade, except the books of course,” you added with a little laugh. After you got Papyrus’s books bagged, you decided to be nice and ask if they wanted you to hold onto their things until they got done with their morning jog. Carrying a box of sweets and a bag of books while jogging can’t possibly be convenient. Or comfortable.

“THAT IS VERY KIND OF YOU, BUT WE HAVE ALREADY FINISHED OUR JOG AND ARE HEADING BACK NOW!” Papyrus beamed at you. Just how early did they get up for the sake of jogging? Why would they do that to themselves? For health and fitness? Not worth it in your personal opinion. 

Scout headed toward the door, “I’D LOVE TO STAY AND CHAT WITH YOU SOME MORE BUT PA-” he cut himself off and cleared his throat again, “SAVANT WILL BE GRUMPY IF HE DOESN’T GET HIS MORNING SUGAR FIX. WE’LL HANG OUT SOME OTHER TIME, IT WAS NICE MEETING YOU!” He sure did seem to stumble over names a lot, didn’t he? And what kind of a name is Savant? Hell, even Scout is an odd name. Surely they're nicknames of some sort. 

“OH, THAT REMINDS ME, MY BROTHER, SANS, SAID HE WAS GOING TO STOP BY TO TALK WITH YOU LATER TODAY AS WELL,” Papyrus scowled slightly, “BUT HE’S VERY LAZY SO IF HE NEVER SHOWS UP DO TELL ME SO I CAN HAVE A WORD WITH HIM!”

And with that, your two energetic neighbors were gone. Well then. That wasn’t the introduction you had expected, but it wasn’t necessarily a bad one, far from it. At the very least, they seemed friendly. Fun even. You hoped they would pay you another visit sometime soon.

Silence fell over the store again, a perfect time to take care of those dishes. While scrubbing them, you mulled over everything that had just transpired. Both skeletons mentioned other people, so there were at least four people living in the manor. Were all of them skeletons? Or even just other types of monsters? The locals were going to have a field day with this. In all honesty, you weren’t sure how they would respond to the new people in town. Rural areas were not exactly known for their acceptance of monsterkind. Papyrus and Scout seemed so sweet, the last thing you’d want is for them to be treated poorly just because some people are too racist to consider seeing past someone’s appearance. 

With the dishes set up to dry, you felt more enthusiastic than usual to face the day ahead of you. It’s been a while since you looked forward to what was to come. This was something new and exciting, it was a change in routine. 

A very welcomed changed.


	2. Big Brother is Always Watching

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans comes in for that chat, and two more of your neighbors make an appearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was gonna wait until the one week mark to post this, but got excited and wanted that sweet sweet instant gratification so here ya go

Papyrus and Scout’s visit had given your day an interesting start to say the least. If nothing else, it put a spring in your step that was usually absent. Customers were even noticing your improved mood and commenting on it. Had you been so noticeably downtrodden before? Were your attempts to mask it that bad? Guess they were. Regardless, it was admittedly heartwarming to have them be invested in your well being enough to say something about it.

As to be expected, the vast majority of your customers were asking about the neighbors. Have you seen anything? Met them?? Talked with them??? They need to know! Since you’ve been around long enough to know how things work, you knew it was fruitless to withhold information. Not that you were going to tell them everything, but you could spare some details. There are at least four of them, and the two you’d met were exceedingly friendly… But you may or may not have left out the small piece of information regarding the fact that they were, well, monsters. 

It’s not that you were afraid to tell them about it, none of the locals seemed like particularly violent people, but you weren’t sure if it was your business to be telling that. Would your neighbors be offended if they caught wind of you gossiping about how they were monsters? It’s not a risk you’re willing to take. Especially not since Scout mentioned he hoped to be friends with you. Between working your ass off all your life and raising your sister, spare time to make friends with was consistently in short supply. Sure, there’d been a few off and on friendships throughout school, but between conflicting schedules and you moving away after graduation, none had persisted to this day beyond the odd text message here and there. Now that you thought about it, you couldn’t even remember the last time you got a text from any of them. Oh well, no use dwelling on it.

The door chimed again, effectively ending your train of thought. The local diner owner, Louis, walked in. He opened the diner himself back in the late 70’s and ran it by himself for the next thirty or so years, eventually letting his children take over more and more duties as his old age started to catch up with him. That’s not to say he was helpless. He could still get around well enough, but a full work day on his feet in the kitchen was no longer manageable. Now he mostly handled picking up orders for the store, which is exactly what he was here to do. Louis gave a warm smile, “Good Afternoon, got my order ready for me?”

“Of course! When have I not?” You chirped back, stepping out from behind the counter to retrieve the pies from the kitchen.

“Well there was that one t-”

“Hey, we agreed not to talk about ‘the incident’ anymore,” you shot him a playful glare, eliciting a chuckle from the old man. The ‘incident’ in question was that one time you’d overslept thanks to the battery dying on your phone, your sole alarm clock, over night. Morning pastries were limited to what was already premade, and you had far less time than usual to get orders done. For a moment, you naively thought you would have them ready only a few minutes later than you were supposed to. He’d been kind enough to wait for you while you went to grab the last one from the cooling rack, but you felt bad for making him wait around for as long as you had and jogged to get back to him faster. A grave mistake on your part. You were maybe five feet away from him when you tripped on a rug and promptly landed face first in the pie. It was cherry, a flavor you have loathed since that accursed day. Luckily for you, he was the only witness and, through his laughter, swore not to tell anyone about it. A promise that, as far as you knew, he’d kept to this day.

With the pies loaded up, you walk carefully back to the main part of the store, passing them off to him. He thanked you and left, having already placed a check on the counter. As he was opening the door, you noticed him come to an abrupt stop. It was only for a brief moment, but long enough to catch your attention. Just as you were thinking to ask what was wrong, he spoke up, “Sorry son, let me get out of the way for you.” His tone sounded somewhat sheepish.

“it’s no problem, sorry I stopped you dead in your tracks,” this was followed by both of them chuckling, though Louis’ sounded forced. The other voice didn’t sound familiar. Must be someone new… Another one of your neighbors perhaps? Papyrus did say his brother was supposed to come talk to you today, though what he wanted to talk with you about you didn’t know. Papyrus told you his name, didn’t he? Shit, what was it? Something with an ‘S’, right?

There wasn’t much time to dwell on your own forgetfulness, however. The new person had walked in, and it seems your guess was correct. Another skeleton, clad in some loose shorts and a blue hoodie was standing in front of you. He had a lax grin and was about the same size as Scout, possibly a little shorter. “hey kiddo, you the (y/n) my bro was raving about?” His hand extended towards yours.

Deeply flattered that Papyrus liked you enough to already be complimenting you to his brother, you were quick to reach out and shake his hand, “Yep! It’s nice t-” 

Your kind greeting was cut off by the loudest fart noise you’d ever heard in your entire life. A weighted silence hung between you for what felt like an eternity, only brought to an end by a burst of laughter that tore out of you. It wasn’t even that funny, but it might as well have been the most expertly crafted joke in your current state of sleep deprivation. You tried to speak and apologize for cackling like this, but more giggles kept interrupting you. Has your sense of humor always been this immature? Finally, you were able to wheeze out an, “Oh my god.” Nailed it. Interaction saved.

The skeleton chuckled, his smile noticeably wider than before. His hand rose up to reveal the small, but evidently very powerful, whoopie cushion attached to it. “heh, the old whoopie cushion in the hand trick, always funny. been a while since i got this much of a laugh out of it. you good kid?” While you desperately try to get your manic laughter under control, he casually slides the cushion off his palm and pockets it. 

With a final breath of laughter, you clear your throat and straighten up, “Sorry about that, don’t know why that got me as much as it did.”

“no need to apologize, i’m glad i found someone else who can appreciate my crappy sense of humor,” he winks when he says ‘crappy’ for emphasis. Holding out his hand again, minus the whoopie cushion this time, he properly introduces himself, “the name’s sans, sans the skeleton. hate to be bothering you this early, but i did want to talk to about something.”

Sans! That was the name! Also, it’s twelve thirty? Just what kind of sleep schedule does he have that this constitutes as early? “It’s no problem, this is hardly considered early for me.”

“it is for me though.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Shit, did that sound rude? “Do you work nights?”

“something like that. that aside, let’s get right to it, i’m bone tired and have a very important nap to get to.” The lights in his eye sockets closely observed your face, “judging by the bags under your eyes, i’m sure you can understand.” Were they that noticeable? He continued, “i won’t take up too much of your time, just wanted to give you a heads up that some of my family can get a little… eccentric. yeah, let’s go with that. i’m sure you’ll meet most of them soon enough. they shouldn’t give you too much trouble, but if they do,” Sans digs out a crumpled up napkin and hands it to you, “just give me a ring ok? whatever it is, i can deal with it. no need to drag anyone else into it.” 

The tone of that last sentence was ever so slightly stern, almost as if it was a warning. Maybe you misheard him? Granted, you’ve only known him for a couple of minutes, but that just didn’t seem likely. The request itself wasn’t particularly odd though, most people would prefer to deal with their family members themselves rather than have police involved. You assume that’s what he was getting at. Uncrumpling the napkin, you find a phone number scrawled onto it. The handwriting is sloppy but legible, and there’s a red stain smeared on it. Ketchup?

Sans shifts in your peripheral vision. Oh yeah, you’ve been quiet for what is most certainly an awkward amount of time. First you laugh hysterically at a fart joke, then you take an unintentional crack at his sleeping habits, and now you’re being weirdly silent after being asked a question. It would seem the years of being a shut in that lives to work is taking its toll on you. “Oh, uh, yeah of course! I doubt they will be though, Papyrus and Scout were super nice.” That isn’t even sugar coated, they’re total sweethearts, “And hey, you seem pretty cool too.”

The bones above his sockets raised slightly, acting as pseudo-eyebrows, “you flatter me kid. welp. i need to be getting to that nap i mention, see you around.” With that he turned around and headed towards the door. Just before opening it, he looked back at you, “love the name of this place by the way, it’s pretty sweet. you’ve got good taste.” 

A smile spread across your face, he was definitely a lover of puns. Much like yourself. “Thanks! I should’ve known you’d...” The words died on your tongue. Surely you saw that wrong. It looked like he just opened the door, and rather than walking out, simply vanished into thin air. You hurry over to the door and look around outside but don’t see any sign of him. “The hell?” You mumble to yourself. It was a well known fact that monsters could use magic, but you’d never heard of them being able to do anything like that. You’ll definitely have to ask him about that later.

“whatcha lookin’ at?” A raspy voice asked from right over your shoulder, close enough that his breath fanned against your neck. Waaaaay too close.

A less than dignifying shriek escaped as you whipped around. No one else was in the store with you, who could have said that? In your blind panic, you bashed your head against the door. Hard. Your eyes screwed themselves shut, and you’re sure that even if they were open you’d only be seeing stars. The pain was enough to distract you from the intruder that had just scared at least a few years off your natural lifespan. He barked out a laugh at your predicament, it was clear he couldn’t care less about being the reason for your pain.

“damn hun, woulda stopped by sooner if i’d known how great your reaction would be,” your assailant drawled. Cracking open an eye, you fixed him with the fiercest glare you could manage in your slightly disoriented state. Couldn’t have been very good though since all it made him do was chuckle. “you tryin’ to act tough? adorable.“

It was another skeleton. Maybe you should’ve asked Sans how many people he had living with him when he was still here, but that doesn’t matter right now. You’ve got a more pressing issue. The skeleton in front of you was tall, not quite as tall as Papyrus, but still had quite a bit of height on you. His clothes consisted of a stained, purple zip up hoodie, shorts that looked almost exactly like Sans’, and- oh no. Socks with sandals as footwear. An assault on your eyes almost as damaging as the one to your head. Examining his face, he had large, pointed canines that were loosely holding an unlit cigarette. 

“How did you even get in here?” There were many questions running through your mind right now, but this seemed like the most important one to ask. It’s obvious that he didn’t use the front door. Did he pry a window open? Why?

He shrugged. “same way sansy-boy left,” his hands waved in a jazz hands-esque manner, “magic.” You had a sinking feeling that would become an issue for you in the future. The eye that wasn’t covered by an eyepatch raked over you, seemingly searching for something. His grin stretched, “i’m swindle, by the way.”

“(Y/N),” you returned flatly. If he picked up on your less than friendly tone, he didn’t acknowledge it. Instead, he turned away and slowly stalked around the store. None of the books caught his interest, garnering little more than a bored glance or two. In the meantime, you slipped back behind the counter and continued to observe him. Each step was lazy, not carrying him far despite how long his legs were, but his eyes were carefully looking over everything around him. You’re sure there wasn’t a single detail that evaded him, despite his seemingly lax composure. 

Perhaps you were staring too hard, because his gaze snapped to yours. Feeling thoroughly caught in the act, you do what anyone does. Hastily look away and act like the wall is the most interesting thing around. You could feel your face burning and heard him chuckle at your embarrassment. His footsteps trailed closer to you, coming to a stop in front of the bakery case. Hunching over, his gaze wandered over the many pastries before focusing on some honey glazed scones. “how much are these?”

“They’re $1.29 each, but if you get twelve, you get a bonus one for free,” your customer service voice took over, a force of habit really when it came to anything associated with sales. Swindle had been kind of jerkish, but that doesn’t mean you’re about to miss out on a chance to make money off him.

He hummed contemplatively, “how about .89?”

“Excuse me?” You deadpanned. 

“and two free ones with the twelve,” his smile was downright smarmy.

“No? I’m not going to knock the price down that much and give you extra, that’s not how this works at all,” your customer service voice reverted back to the flat one you’d spoken to him with before. Great. He’s one of those people, though that really shouldn’t be a surprise given what his name is. There had been a lot of customers like this when you first opened shop, hoping to pressure the new business owner into giving them things for cheap because they assumed you were desperate enough. Granted, at the time, desperate was an accurate way to describe you, but you weren’t about to let them know that and get in the habit of screwing you over. The loan you took out to start this business isn’t going to pay itself off. It’s better to lose a shitty customer than to consistently lose money because you let them walk all over you.

Much to your dismay, his grin didn’t falter. Of course he wasn’t giving up that easily. “c’mon, we both know these ain’t worth that much, we can work out a deal. can’t we?”

Not worth that much? They’re cheap! Considering how expensive the honey on it alone is (the honey was the good stuff from a local beekeeper, not cheap but worth it for the taste and quality), you were charging very little for a personally owned business. Anger was simmering within you, an emotion you hadn’t felt in so long you’d almost forgotten what it felt like. But... no. You weren’t going to give him the satisfaction of knowing he pissed you off. “If you think they’re that bad and overpriced, then you don’t have to buy them,” you stated plainly.

“ouch, not even gonna try and work something out with me?” He searched your face, likely looking for any sign that he was getting to you. It would seem like he didn’t find anything, his smile drooped around the edges ever so slightly. “.99, and only the one extra like you mentioned before, that’s fair right?”

You let the question hang in the air for a little while. Now it was your turn to grin, “$1.39 each, and I’ll let you have the two extra.” The hard stare you shot him most certainly did not match your saccharine smile. You’ve never backed down against scammers before, and you weren’t about to start now.

Swindle’s smile had fallen into and unimpressed frown. Looks like he isn’t used to not getting his way. His fingers drummed on the counter, “ya drive a hard bargain, kid. did you learn this from muffet herself?”

“Who?”

Before he could answer, a booming voice cut him off, “S W I N D L E.” Whoever said that was absolutely furious, you didn’t even need to look to know that. The light in Swindle’s socket went out, and he appeared to be sweating? Somehow??? You’ll question it later. Hazarding a glance in the direction of the angry newcomer, you saw… Scout? No. That can’t be the same person, the clothes and general demeanor were completely different. Maybe they’re twins? There’s no way the similarities are a coincidence. 

With a noticeable shake in his voice, Swindle responds, “yeah, bro?”

“BEFORE YOU LEFT, I TOLD YOU TO BE NICE AND MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION,” he took a step closer, his combat boot clad feet making the floor shake, “BUT HERE YOU ARE… NOT BEING NICE, AND NOT MAKING A GOOD IMPRESSION.”

“it’s not what it- uh, how long have you been here?” Swindle was backing up, but the newcomer matched each step.

“LONG ENOUGH TO KNOW YOU DIDN’T LISTEN TO ME!” He spun on his heel to face you, the look on his face cold enough to make you flinch. A weary sigh escaped him and he massaged his temple. Did this exchange happen a lot? “I APOLOGIZE FOR MY BROTHER’S DISGRACEFUL BEHAVIOR, I SUPPOSE IT WAS FOOLISH ON MY END TO ASSUME HE WOULD ACTUALLY HEED ME.” He held out a gloved hand to you, “I AM TRAPPER, IF HE GIVES YOU ANY MORE TROUBLE, DO LET ME KNOW SO I CAN HAVE A WORD WITH HIM.” The handshake was firm but brief, probably the most normal one you’ve gotten from any of these people so far.

Swindle was sweating profusely at this point, Trapper must be the older of the two. He’s definitely giving off strong big brother energy right now… and some disappointed mom energy if you’re being completely honest. Trapper stomped over to grab his brother by the hood of his jacket, making him stop in front of the counter, “NOW PAY THEM FULL PRICE, RIGHT NOW.” Upon seeing Swindle’s hesitation, he added, “AND LEAVE A TIP.”

“oh c’mon s-” the look Trapper shot him stopped him from finishing the sentence. If looks could kill, you’re sure he would have a thriving career as a mercenary. You’re not even the one in trouble, but you can feel yourself starting to sweat a little under the intensity of his gaze. Swindle hastily dug out some crumpled bills and tossed them your way, tacking on a quiet ‘keep the change’. It was an almost ten dollar tip. Nice. With a sickeningly sweet smile, you thank him and sent the two brothers on their way with a box of the scones Swindle wanted. Seeing how much trouble he was in with his brother, you tossed in two extra scones quietly. It’s not like the tip didn’t cover it, plus you hoped this would encourage him to pay in full next time. If there was a next time. With how this went you wouldn’t be surprised if he never set foot in here again. 

Your neighbors sure are shaping up to be an interesting bunch. Swindle was a bit of an ass, but the rest seemed nice enough. Was this all of them? Once again, you failed to ask how many people were living in the manor. You do have Sans’ phone number though, you could ask him some time. Would he be cool with you texting him casually, or were you only supposed to contact him for emergencies? Nah, he’d probably be fine with it, the guy had such a casual and friendly air to him.

Removing your phone from your pocket, you decided to send him a message while you were thinking of it. ‘Hey Sans, this is (Y/N) from the store. Just wanted to say hello and make sure I entered the number in right lol’, that should be good enough. He did say something about taking a nap when he gets back home, so you pocketed the phone, not expecting a response any time soon. 

Silence blanketed the store once more. Your mind couldn’t help but drift back to how similar Scout and Trapper looked when compared to each other, but at the same time there were definitely some major differences. Do identical twins usually have such vastly different personalities? Of course the obvious answer here is to ask Scout if they are twins, but you’re worried he’s going to think you’re dumb for asking an obvious question. Or be offended that you thought they were twins if it turns out they aren’t even related. 

The door chimed, snapping you out of your thoughts. A human customer this time. There’s already been so many skeletons today that you’d half expected to see another one, hell you even felt lowkey disappointed that it was a human. It’s not often that something this interesting happened in small towns like this one, you couldn’t help the excitement that was rapidly building up inside you. Now, however, it was time to put away the giddiness and focus on your job. You’d think more on this later.


	3. A Long Day and a Night Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scout's brother pays you a visit, and you meet someone new at the diner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok I know I called him Stretch in the first chapter, but upon realizing he was literally the only one without a new nickname, I decided to change that.

It. Has been. A day.

That was putting it mildly. Today has been so drastically different from the past few months- no, years, that it was almost difficult to take in. That says a lot about the current state of your life if new neighbors could shake the foundation this strongly. As much as you hated getting swept up in the local gossiping hype train, it’d be a lie to say you weren’t listening in on conversations more than usual. As you expected, Louis was quick to spread the word about what your neighbors were after his brief run in with Sans.

The reactions have been… mixed. Being in a small town has a tendency to make people equally small minded. When so little changes, their minds don’t either. Why develop an adaptiveness when there’s nothing to adapt to? That seems to be the general mindset. Of course, not everyone adheres to that way of thinking. Just because you’re born into it doesn’t mean you can’t break free and form your own opinions, it’s just a bit uncommon around here. 

Starting with the good: there were more than a few people who came off as being very curious about the new people in town. Most of the people around here have only seen monsters in passing, so having them become permanent residents in town was interesting and exciting. Some had even met Scout and Papyrus during their early morning jog (Apparently more people were jogging at ungodly hours? Abhorrent), and of course they’d made great first impressions. After the joggers got over the initial scare of seeing two skeletons running at them, they had nothing but good things to say about them. You’ve only talked with them once, and briefly at that, but you could tell those skeletons were as sweet as your cinnamon rolls.

Unfortunately, there were some bad things said as well. Fear was the dominant emotion amongst those people. They were so used to using the word ‘monster’ in negative settings, that they refused to see them in any other light. Someone even said they were nothing more than mindless, dangerous brutes (you snorted out a laugh when you overheard that one, she obviously hadn’t met any of them). There were also some more hateful comments. Older folk complaining that the town has always been monster free and should stay that way. That if they had any say in it they never would have been allowed to move here in the first place. It was sickening if you were being frank, but not surprising.

Moving on from all that, Sans did respond to your text. Hours later, as expected. His response had gotten a chuckle out of you.

Sans: u takin a crack at my handwriting?  
You: maaaaybe  
You: I thought it was in code at first ngl  
Sans: harsh but fair

At least he had a good attitude and sense of humor about it. Outside of your sister, you don’t get the opportunity to joke around too much. Since he didn’t complain about there not being a reason for you to contact him, you’re gonna go ahead and take that as a green light to text him whenever.

Currently, you were doing some clean up around the shop. There’s only half an hour left, and you’d like to hit the local diner after work and have a real meal. It’s been a good day for business, so there’s a lot to do, but there’s been enough of a dip in customers that you have the opportunity to start the nightly routine early. 

The door chimed behind you. Of course it did, can’t have the night be too peaceful, right? Plastering on a fake smile, you turn around to greet whoever walked in. You temporarily froze though, gawking at who it was. Another skeleton. Shouldn’t be a surprise at this point in the day. He was tall and hard to miss, what with the bright orange hoodie. Remembering you haven’t said anything yet, you scramble to fix that, “Hey there, can I help you with anything?” You hastily stuffed the rag you were wiping down tables with into a pocket in your apron.

“to be honest, i’m mostly here to see who sent swindle home with his tail between his legs,” he smiled slightly, “but i’d be lying if i said i wasn’t hoping to get some more of those scones my bro brought for me this morning.” He held out his hand for you to shake, a gesture which you were quick to return. If he’s mentioning scones from this morning, then that must mean he’s the one Scout mentioned. 

“Is your name Savant by any chance?” It doesn’t hurt to check first, though. 

If you hadn’t been staring straight at him, you would have missed the way he tensed ever so slightly. A light orange color highlighted his cheek bones. Is he blushing? That’s… oddly adorable. The hand that wasn’t holding on to yours rose up to rub wear his spine connected to his skull, chuckling nervously, “ah man, was scout talking about me? i hope he didn’t try and raise your expectations too much.”

“All he told me was that you get grumpy when you don’t get your sugar fix, a struggle I can certainly relate to. You should see me when I don’t get the chance to stuff a few treats in my face in the morning, I get the worst case of resting bitch face you’ll ever see,” you joked to try and ease whatever budding anxiety he has cropping up. It sounds like his brother brags about him a lot. Is this how Liz would feel when she’d catch you gushing about her SAT scores to whoever would listen? Probably. She would always end up slapping at your arms and whining for you to shut up. Ah, those were the good ol’ days.

“issat so? huh. he usually has at least a 35 slide long powerpoint presentation prepared, guess he forgot to grab it before he left for his morning jog,” his shoulders   
dropped, your words clearly easing him. 

“Oh does he? I’ll have to ask him to show that to me next time I see him.” You couldn’t help but notice he was still holding onto your hand. The feeling was quite unique. One would expect for bones to feel rough and rock solid, but his hand was smooth and somewhat malleable. It was also surprisingly warm.

Your gaze must have lingered for too long, because he finally took note of your still joint hands. His blush deepened and he quickly pulled away and stuffed the offending hand in his pocket, “c’mon, he doesn’t need anymore encouragement.” He laughed again, the anxious lilt still present. He’s a nervous laugher, it would seem. “so about those scones?” It was an obvious attempt to change the subject. One you would respect.

“It is pretty late in the day, so the pickings are slim I’m afraid.” You hurried over to the display case to eye what was left, “I’m afraid we’re out of those now, but I’ve still got some cookies and a few slices of cake left.” 

Savant approached the case to see what was there. His shoulder bumped yours, making him take a step back and mumble out a quick apology. He hunched over to get a better look, the lights in his eyes raking over the remaining pastries. They settled on the spiced honey cake, “that looks pretty damn good.”

“Cool, I’ll get it rang up for you in just a second,” you say while speed walking to get behind the counter. Savant had one slice in hand, but was eyeing the remaining two, debating whether or not to get more. With a shake of his skull, he closed the plastic door and brought the slice over to the counter. “Anything else for you?” He shakes his head, so you give him the total and he pays it without hassle. Refreshing after your previous skeleton experience. You wave him off as he heads out, keeping an eye on him as he tries a bite of the cake. That’s always been your favorite part of baking. Seeing people enjoy it. Even if they didn’t thank you, it felt like they did when their eyes lit up and they smiled and gushed to their friends about how good it was.

A frown pulled at your face when he stopped in his tracks, his face unreadable (or maybe you just didn’t know how to read skeletal facial expressions?). Panic coursed through your veins. Did he not like it? It had been in the case for a while now, did it already get dry? Before you could ask what was wrong, he disappeared. But only for a second. In the next moment, he materialized in front of the case again. Had this happened yesterday, it would have startled you. Maybe even scared you. Not today though, this was hardly new now.

Savant reopened the case and piled the remaining slices into the box you’d put the first one into before coming back up to the counter. He looked slightly embarrassed,  
“heh, guess i should have grabbed them the first time, huh?” There was that blush again.

It’s official. He’s adorable.

\---

The rest of the shift was considerably less adorable after Savant left. No one else came in, which was good since it gave you time to finish cleaning the store and even start some of the prepping for tomorrow. Tonight you were able to finish before seven, a relief considering how hungry you are. The near constant stream of customers today didn’t leave you with enough time to eat lunch. With the store and kitchen clean, you rushed upstairs to change out of your work clothes and into something more casual and comfortable. With that taken care of, you grab your car keys and head out to get some food.

The local diner was your target, and while it wasn’t too far away, it wasn’t close enough to walk to. Lou’s Place is the name, owned by the very same Louis that had picked up pies from you earlier. It looked like any other diner. You know, the ones with bright red seats and black and white checkered floors. Despite the how commercial it was, the diner still had a homey feel to it. Probably because of the sense of community it had from everyone around here knowing each other. Due to how frequently you went out to eat, you knew all the regulars very well. 

The drive itself was brief, taking less than ten minutes in total. A good thing, given how hungry you were after such a long day of work. The parking lot was mostly empty, another plus since that meant you’d be getting food quickly. With a skip in your step, you hurry inside. Just as you thought, the diner only had a few people in it at various tables. You elected to take a seat at the pub tables near the kitchen. Sitting at a normal table by yourself always feels lonely, but these make you feel a little better about it since you didn’t have to stare at an empty seat in front of you the whole time.

A server spotted you shortly after you hopped up onto the heightened seat, “Hey there, I’ll be with you in a sec!” Her arms were loaded with plates for one of the other tables. You didn’t recognize her, she must be new here.

“Take your time, I’m in no rush,” you were really hungry, but you’re not about to be rude and pressure a waitress. 

The sound of someone getting into the seat next to you caught you off guard. You’re the only one here, who wanted to sit right next to you? Turning around, your eyes settle on what has become a very familiar sight for you today. Were you some sort of skeleton monster magnet? This is what, the sixth one today? He wasn’t any of the ones you saw before, none of them had a sharp, gold tooth. Well, all of the teeth were noticeably sharp, but seeing a gold tooth was very eye catching. You didn’t realize people even did those anymore, was that really still a thing?

These observations didn’t go unnoticed. His lax smile widened into a smirk, “ya like what ya see? you’re starin’ at me pretty hard, sweetheart.” The red lights in his sockets raked over you, “but then again, i am too.” There was a slight growl to his voice, and you couldn’t be completely sure if he was threatening you… or flirting with you. Something in his expression told you it was the latter, though. 

Feeling embarrassed at being called out, your face flushed a deep red that could rival the red of his sweater. Well this sure is an awkward start. In an attempt to salvage it, you force out a laugh, “Sorry about that, it’s, uh, been a long day. Guess I’m spacing out a bit.” Ugh. You didn’t even believe that, there wasn’t a chance in hell he was going to buy it.

The skeleton let out a throaty chuckle. “don’t worry about it, dollface, i don’t have any issue with bein’ checked out by someone like you,” he finished with a wink. Yep. He’s definitely flirting. Maybe in a different setting this would have been flattering, but right now all you wanted was to eat. Hopefully he’ll drop it if you don’t feed too much into it. He held out his hand, “the name’s fracture, by the way. i don’t suppose i could get yours, too, could i?” 

You suppose there’s no harm in giving your name, especially since the odds were that he was also living in the manor behind your store. You politely returned the handshake, not wanting to leave him hanging, “(Y/N). It’s nice to meet you, Fracture.” So many odd names, were all of them going by nicknames? Are their real names secret? Why? 

“pleasure’s mine,” his grin fell slightly and his sockets narrowed. “wait, are you the one in that shack down the mountain?”

Okay, your house is a little run down, but shack is a harsh word for it. Retracting your hand, you pointedly answer his question, “Yes, I’m the one in the store at the base, what about it?” Your voice had more snark in it than probably necessary, but he shouldn’t be insulting a place he hasn’t even walked into. Rude.

“store, right, sorry,” his humored tone said otherwise, but you didn’t feel like calling him on it. “gotta say, seeing that little shit moping over not being able to get you over a barrel was pretty damn funny. it’s nice to meet the one responsible for that.” Little shit? Was he talking about Swindle? Yeah. He was probably talking about Swindle. It’s a fitting name for him. 

Out of the corner of your eye you spot the waitress heading your way, carrying a couple of menus and placing one in front of each of you. She eyed Fracture warily, looking somewhat uncomfortable. “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you come in,” her eyes looked your way briefly, visibly confused. “So, what can I get you two to drink?”

Wait, does she think you and him are together? Before you can correct her, Fracture speaks up, “i’ll take a bottle of mustard. yes, to drink.” The appalled face of the waitress didn’t phase him, and based on the last sentence he tacked on, he got this kind of reaction a lot. He turned to you and placed a clawed hand on your back, “what do you want, doll? it’s on me.”

“That’s not neces-” 

“c’mon, it’s fine.” You opened your mouth to argue more, but he cut you off again, “if you don’t pick something, i’m gonna get you the same thing as me.”

You almost gagged at the thought of drinking straight out of a mustard bottle, “Water, please.” As soon as you said it, the waitress was gone. You took this chance to talk to Fracture, “I can pay for my own meal, thank you very much.”

His hand was slowly rubbing circles into your lower back. It felt heavenly, but you weren’t about to tell him that. “don’t worry about it, just a friendly gesture is all. i’ll let ya make it up to me some time if it makes ya feel better.” He shifts closer to you, the padding of his jacket pressing against your side. His hand moves down to your hip, massaging it, all the while maintaining eye contact with you. 

Your whole body tenses up, this is way too intimate coming from someone that is practically a stranger. Firmly grasping the wrist of the wandering hand, you pried it off and scooted over to the next stool. “I think I’ll just pay for it myself today, thanks.” It’s unclear as to what exactly he’s getting at, but from past experience, you assume it’s nothing you want to be a part of.

Fracture frowns at your actions, but only briefly. In the next moment, he’s got his default smile back and scoots over into the seat you were previously in. You were about to move again, but upon noticing he wasn’t making a move to invade your personal space this time, you relaxed slightly. “sorry, got a little ahead of myself there,” this apology sounded more genuine than the last. “let’s keep talkin’ though, i’d like to get to know ya better, sweetheart.”

The waitress came back with the drinks. Well, a drink and a condiment, you doubt mustard counts as a drink. After setting them down, she pulls out a notepad and asks what you two want to order. You get your usual, and Fracture gets a burger and fries. Once again, the waitress is quick to leave as soon as she can. It’s easy to tell she’s in the group of people that aren’t keen on monsters moving in to town. If Fracture noticed her behavior, he must’ve decided it wasn’t worth acknowledging.

You eyed him as he snatched up the mustard bottle. Instead of putting the tip of it into his mouth, a luminescent red tongue snaked out and he squeezed the yellow condiment onto it. You have so many goddamn questions about how skeleton anatomy works and absolutely no answers. Would it be weird to ask about it? Rude? Would he make it awkward with more flirting?

“so that store you run, it’s a bakery or some shit, right?” Fracture breaks the silence. You suppose he did say he wanted to keep talking, and you’re grateful he’s going for a normal topic.

“Yeah, but it’s also a bookstore. Though I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been thinking about ditching that aspect of it,” you heave a sigh at the thought. The books rarely sold enough to break even, and the store would have closed a long time ago if it weren’t for the bakery sales being through the roof.

“oh yeah? how come you haven’t?” His mandible was propped up on his fist, he was watching you casually in between swigs of his questionable drink. 

“I don’t know. Back when I opened the place, I really thought it would work. I thought that since I loved books and regularly bought them, that others would too.” Not that you had time to anymore, when even was the last time you read a book? You can’t remember. “And yeah, some do, but a lot don’t. Now I think I’m just keeping them around because it’s easier than getting rid of them and rearranging the store.” You shrug and take another sip of your drink. Putting away more books at the end of the day than you sold was unspeakably frustrating. If it weren’t for all the older women that came in to get those cheap romance novels, you would barely be making any book sales at all.

Fracture nodded along, “can’t say i know what to tell ya, i’m too damn lazy to ever try and run a store like that.” He drank some more mustard, “but hey, if ya ain’t losin’ money ya can’t be doing that bad. plus, from what i overheard from trapper, it sounds like ya don’t take shit from anybody. why don’t ya tell me more about that?” His grin widened, gold tooth glinting.

“Oh, that was nothing I haven’t dealt with before, I’ve had plenty of people like Swindle come in and think they can do whatever the hell they want. All I did was show him that kind stuff won’t work with me, and I’m not gonna break just because he’s trying to act all tough.” Your chest puffed out in pride. If there’s one thing you’re confident about, it’s your ability to stand on your own against whatever life threw at you. It’s not a skill that came easily, but it was a necessary one to have in your line of work.

Your server came back with the food, dropping it off wordlessly before speeding off again. Fracture snorted, “it’s a good thing i’ve got you here to chat with, huh? sure wouldn’t have gotten much outta her.” So he did notice. Of course he did, that kind of thing was hard to miss. He didn’t seem too bothered by it, and you hope it’s because he doesn’t let things get to him easily and not because it happens a lot.

A comfortable silence falls over the two of you while you eat. The food here is always great, Louis has high standards, and that is evidently a trait that was passed on to his kids. And the desserts are pretty damn good too if you do say so yourself. A glance at the near empty pie case showed that the people here agreed.

You can’t help but look over at your skeletal companion of the evening repeatedly. There’s a series of hairline fractures spidering out on the back of his skull, it looks like something (or someone) bashed him in the back of the head when he wasn’t expecting it. Must’ve hurt like hell when it happened. Before your brain can catch up with your mouth, you blurt out the question, “Does that still hurt?”

Fracture freezes mid bite, obviously not expecting what you asked. You winced. That was a shitty thing to ask, wasn’t it? “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

Your words seemed to snap him out of whatever trance he was in, “nah, don’t worry about it. don’t usually get asked about that it is all, real sweet of ya to be so worried about me.” He winked at you again, “but no, as long as ya don’t push on it, it’s fine.” A humorless chuckle slipped out and he mumbled under his breath, “i’ve got it easy compared to someone else i know.”

The rest of the meal passed pleasantly, with some light conversation and jokes exchanged. Once you got past the flirty behavior, he was good company. Even the flirting wasn’t too bad since he had the decency to back off when you told him to, a quality that you deeply appreciated. Your meals were long gone by the time you took notice of the clock and did a double take. How the hell was it almost nine? Have you two really been talking for that long? “Shit, I need to head home now. Gotta get up early and open the store tomorrow.” You waved over the waitress, “Hey could I get my check?” How had she not brought it yet? It’s been over two hours.

“leavin’ me so soon? i suppose i’ll let you go, but just this once,” the padding of his jacket did little to soften the jab of him elbowing you. “don’t worry about payin’ though, i said it was on me and i meant it.”

“And I told you that I can pay for myself, and I meant that too,” you retort playfully, lacking the stern tone you’d used the first time you told him that. At least now you know that he’s not doing it just to be a creep.

When the waitress brought the check over, Fracture snatched it out of her hand before you could grab it (she jerked her hand back like he burned her), “let’s do this again sometime, i’ll let you pay for that one. that sound good, doll?”

“It doesn’t sound terrible, I suppose. Fine, but let me cover the tip at least,” you dug out your wallet and got out enough to cover a twenty percent tip. Just because she was determined to be rude doesn’t mean you’re gonna stoop as low as her and be that one asshole that didn’t leave a tip. 

After everything was paid for, you walked out together. Fracture had his hand on your back again. “i’ll be seein’ ya around, i’m holdin’ ya to gettin’ dinner with me again. if ya don’t, i know where to find ya,” he joked. Normally, hearing someone say that to you would creep you the hell out, but something about him made you feel like you had nothing to worry about. 

“Oh, I’m so scared, I guess I’ll just have to get dinner with you then,” you let out a laugh. The crisp night air cut right through you, making you regret not grabbing a coat on the way out of your house. “Anyways, I’m gonna get going. Have a good night, Fracture.”

The hand on your back retreated into his jacket pocket, “yeah, I need to get back too. i’m sure sans has noticed that i left by now, probably did a while ago. g’night (y/n).”

With that, he vanished. Is it safe to assume they can all do that? You shake your head and head to your car. Now that you’re not distracted, you’re feeling tired and can’t wait to get in your bed. 

It’s been one hell of a day, but definitely not a bad one.


	4. Rumors and Late Night Visitors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get a call from someone you haven't seen in a while, and the process of meeting all of your new neighbors continues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bet you thought you'd seen the last of me! Sorry for the large gap between chapters, but you know... it's been a hectic year. But I'm back in the swing of things again and hope to update more regularly.

This morning felt much better than the previous one, it’s almost as if sleeping in a bed as opposed to a lumpy couch makes a difference. It’s probably getting to be about time you replaced that old thing, but you’ll worry about that some other time. For now, you’ve got half an hour to get downstairs and start on the arduous process of opening the store. A quick glance at your notifications revealed you had a text from an unknown number. It’s probably one of those scam things trying to convince you to share your bank info to “make sure you’re not experiencing unusual activity”. Whatever, you’ll check it out later.

Your morning routine went the same as yesterday, maybe a little smoother since you weren’t as tired and sore as you were before. At this rate you may even finish up early, something that almost never happens. The last time you did that was when you woke up before your alarm went off and immediately went into panic mode, assuming you slept in and were running late. You had the store open about an hour and a half early and had no idea why there weren’t any customers until your sister stumbled down the stairs and asked why in the hell you opened the store so damn early. You were so frustrated at the lost sleep that you started crying. She won’t let you live it down.

Today however, you were only fifteen minutes early. Normally you would’ve used the spare time to scarf down a muffin or something, but the sound of some considerably loud voices outside the door distracted you. Peeking through the window, you saw Scout and Papyrus chatting on the porch. How long have they been there? Did they want to talk to you again? Or maybe they just wanted to buy stuff. Probably that one. Not seeing the harm in unlocking the doors a little early, you decide to let them in.

Scout was the first to see you approaching, his whole face lighting up upon locking eyes with you. Papyrus was quick to catch on to what had elicited that reaction from him and whirled around to greet you. “HELLO (Y/N)!” You had just gotten the door unlocked and they were already slipping in. The lights aren’t even on yet. “DID YOU EVER GET MY TEXT? I WISHED YOU A GOOD MORNING BUT YOU NEVER RESPONDED.”

“Text?” What text? “Wait a sec.” You fished your phone out of your pocket and opened the messaging app. Checking out the new text from the mystery messenger, it read, ‘GOOD MORNING HUMAN! I HOPE YOUR MORNING IS AT LEAST HALF AS GREAT AS I AM!’ Which was immediately followed by ‘(WHICH IS STILL VERY GREAT)’. You almost felt bad for discarding it as spam at first. “Sorry Papyrus, I didn’t have time to check my messages this morning.” You scrunched your face up in thought, “This is super sweet and all, but can I ask how you got my number?” Under normal circumstances, this would be creepy, but it’s Papyrus. He’s a big sweetie. What’s the worst he’s gonna do? Ask if you want to go jogging with them? 

… Okay, that is pretty scary, but you’ll cross that bridge when you get to it.

“I GOT IT FROM SANS. NOW YOU CAN CALL ME IF YOU NEED SOMETHING AND MY LAZYBONES OF A BROTHER IS SLEEPING!” He placed his hands on his hip bones, posing proudly. His scarf was somehow billowing behind his as if there was a convenient gust of wind only affecting him. His expression shifted and a light orange light highlighted his cheekbones, his phalanges tapped together hopefully. “AND… I WAS HOPING WE COULD BE FRIENDS?”

Precious. Absolutely precious. “Of course, Papyrus, I’d have to be crazy to turn you down,” you said while entering him in as a contact in your phone so as to not mistake him for spam again. That would be simply unacceptable. 

“OH! I WOULD LIKE TO BE FRIENDS WITH YOU, TOO!” Scout’s eye lights shifted between your face and your phone in a less than subtle manner. It didn’t take a genius to understand what he was getting at. You gave him the same cheery response and exchanged numbers while Papyrus hurried back over to the puzzle book section.

Unfortunately, the lack of new books since yesterday was not met with his usual enthusiasm, but he was placated with your promise that there would be new ones next time you got a shipment in. 

“I HEARD YOU MET MY BROTHER YESTERDAY.” Scout looked at you expectantly. His grin widened, “HE’S GREAT, ISN’T HE?” You could practically feel the brotherly pride emanating off of him. Usually you’re the one boasting about your sister, so it’s interesting to be on the receiving end for a change.

“Oh yeah, he’s great. It’s always a pleasure to gain such a polite customer.” Not that you had a ton of rude ones. Your take-no-shit personality did a pretty good job scaring them off. Your mind starts to wonder if having monsters as regulars is gonna impact your business, but you stop that train of thought before it even leaves the station. Even if it does, you’re not gonna let it change how you interact with them. You’re better than that.

Scout nods along eagerly, “I LIKE TO THINK I DID MY BEST TO RAISE HIM WELL.” Raise him? Did something happen to their parents, or were they… Nah, that’s not something you want to be thinking about this early in the morning. Scout continues talking, “HE IS PRETTY SHY THOUGH, I’M A LITTLE WORRIED HE’S GOING TO HAVE A HARD TIME MAKING NEW FRIENDS IN A NEW PLACE LIKE THIS.”

The same expectant expression he had when asking for your phone number appeared again. It’s generally not a bright idea to hand out your personal number casually, you never know what weirdo could get ahold of it and harass you all hours of the day and night. Savant, however, doesn’t seem the type to do anything like that. Plus, it would feel rude to share it with Scout but not him.

“I can understand that, I know I struggled when I first moved here,” you still kinda did, but that’s neither here nor there. “What’s his number? I could shoot him a text sometime, maybe even introduce him to some of the locals.”

Scout’s already broad grin widened, the lights in his eyes shifting into… Stars??? It took a serious, conscious effort to not squeal at the cute sight. Scout rattled off Savant’s number and you made a mental note to message him sometime soon. Probably closer to the afternoon when you can be absolutely sure you’re not disturbing his sleep.

Scout and Papyrus left shortly thereafter, with pastries for a few of the others living with them. Customers began trickling in, too. Some to pick up their usual orders, and a handful of people that made a habit of getting sweets here before making their daily commute to work. Everything was running smoothly enough… But something was off. The customers kept giving you looks that you couldn’t quite describe, much less explain. Weird, but not something you particularly wanted to focus on.

It was around 7:30 when you heard the store’s landline going off. Hurrying over to it, you wracked your mind for who could be calling. There weren’t any orders that hadn’t either been picked up already or weren’t due for hours. Worried that you’d forgotten about someone, you snatch the phone off the receiver with more force than probably necessary, “Written In Scone, this is (Y/N). How can I help you?”

_ “How could you?” _

You knew that voice, but you had no idea where this was going, so all you said was a blank, “Huh?”

The caller snickered, but tried to muffle it. “How could you not tell your own flesh and blood that you’re,” more barely contained giggles, “that you’re seeing someone?”

“I’m what???” You can’t help the bark of laughter that came out from that accusation. “Liz, what the hell are you talking about?”

Liz was now full on cackling, “You don’t know? It’s the talk of the town! I’m not even there and I heard about it!”

“Okay so who exactly is it that I’m seeing? Oh, and how do  _ you _ know about it?” You hurriedly tack on that last bit, because really, how the hell does she know the town gossip better than you?

Her laughter died down into a chuckle, “One of my old classmates works at the diner and sent me a pic of you on a date with some skeleton-looking monster last night.” You can practically feel her smug grin, “So? Who’s this mystery man you didn’t tell me about?”

“Oh my god,” you ran a hand down your face, “Fracture, she’s talking about Fracture.”

“Who? Wait, are you actually seeing someone?” Liz sounded genuinely shocked. You’re unsure if it’s from the idea of you dating someone or that you hadn’t told her about it. You hope it’s the latter.

“No! No, I’m not seeing anyone. Fracture is one of the people who moved into town recently. That was the first time I even met the guy.” Reflecting on it now, you shouldn’t be surprised that simply sitting next to him was enough to get the rumor mill going. It’s a small town, and so many people already pester you about when you’re going to get married, it was bound to happen. 

The line was silent for a moment before Liz spoke up again, “People moved to  _ that _ town? Why? How many of them are there?”

“You knew about my little “tryst” but not about my new neighbors?” Now look who’s behind on the gossip. Not you for once! “Some guys bought that old mansion behind our place. I’m not actually sure how many of them are living there,” you mentally listed all the ones you’ve met so far, “but there are at least… seven of them. All of them have been skeletons so far, too.”

Her response was much quicker this time, “What?! Just my luck that something interesting happens  _ after _ I leave for college!” You can hear another voice through the phone, one telling Liz to hurry up and that she’s going to be late. “Shit, I have to get to class, but I’m calling you again tonight to get all the details!”

You barely get the chance to say goodbye before the line goes dead. Shaking your head, you chuckle. While your sister had many, many strengths, time management wasn’t one of them. Cramming at the last minute and getting places just as the bell rings is more her style. It’s something you’d gotten on her about here and there growing up, but she’d never let it get out of hand so it was deemed not worth bringing up after a while.

Honestly, you’re not completely sure what all you’re going to tell her when she calls back later. Sure, you can fill her in on the skeletons you’ve met so far, but you really don’t know much about them or why they’re here. It’ll be a pretty short conversation. Like most of your conversations nowadays. Liz has been swept up in the wonder of beginning her adult life in a big city, and her calls home have become further apart and briefer because of it. 

Because why spend time talking to someone whose life hasn’t changed in years when there’s so much more excitement to be had around you?

The sound of the door opening as some customers meandered in snapped you out of your train of thought. Probably for the better.  _ You didn’t like where it was going anyways. _

\---

The rest of your shift had been mostly uneventful. You’d received a plethora of funny looks from people, but thanks to Liz, you at least knew why they were doing it now. Even for the more open minded people, the idea of a monster-human relationship was odd to say the least. One happening in a small town? Heresy! On the brightside, no one seemed brave enough to bring it up. Instead, choosing to stick to weird looks and hushed whispers to their friends. Whatever. You weren’t going to let that kind of a thing bother you.

Closing time had finally come, and you were glad for it. If you rushed through your closing chores list, you may even have enough time to squeeze in a shower before Liz calls back. You shut the main lights off and went about cleaning, wiping down tables in record time. There weren’t too many books off the shelf tonight, which was vaguely disappointing but at the same time convenient. All that was left for cleaning was to sweep and mop the floor and then you could get started on prep work for tomorrow.

You whip around to get the broom, but immediately collide with something large and very solid. It felt like you just ran into one of the bookshelves. You fall onto your rear with a startled yelp and gingerly grab your nose. It didn’t break, but damn does it hurt from whatever you ran into.

A deep, gravely chuckle makes you freeze in place... You’re supposed to be the only person in here. 

Shakily, you look up. In front of you, was a massive skeleton monster, bigger than any of the other ones you’d met. That wasn’t what stuck out to you though. No, the piercing blood red eye and gaping hole in his skull demanded more of your attention.

His lazy grin widened, showing off the sharpened canines. Intentionally, you presume. “heard you were fun to scare, looks like swindle was right about that much.” He leaned forward, looming over your significantly smaller frame, “you can call me hunter, nice to  _ eat _ ya.” ‘Hunter’ chuckled again as he held his hand out to you.

Did he say ‘eat’ or ‘meet’? You shake your head at the thought, of course he said ‘meet’. Choosing not to accept his helping hand, you scoot back and stand up. With the way he’s acting, you’d rather put some distance between you two. His smile falls slightly at this, eye narrowing before he shoves his hand into his pocket. 

“We’re closed right now, sir, I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” your voice comes out more even and stern than you’d expected it to. You thought you’d locked the front door. Maybe it slipped your mind in your rush to finish before Liz calls? You’ll have to be more on top of it from now on, no need to have a repeat of this.

Hunter snorts at your attempt at an authoritative voice, clearly unimpressed. Waving you off, he begins to wander through the store, “i’ll be quick, don’t worry.” Despite this, he continues walking very slowly.

What the hell is with this guy? There have been some customers before that stuck around after closing time because they took their sweet time checking out, but they didn’t sneak in after closing like this guy did. As much as you wanted to get mad and throw this guy out, the more logical part of your brain pointed out that that wouldn’t be a good idea. First of all, he was easily twice your weight. If he didn’t want to leave there’s no way you could force him to. Secondly… Something about him was off. Even though he had yet to do anything to truly cause concern, you felt intimidated and really didn’t want to push your luck with him.

Suddenly, you remembered what Sans had said to you about calling him if any of his family gave you trouble. Surely, this was the kind of thing he was referring to. The problem was, how would you call him without Hunter noticing? You didn’t want to potentially piss him off. Maybe you could slip into the bathroom? You didn’t like the idea of taking your eyes off him, but there weren’t exactly many other options.

Just as you were planning to slip away, Hunter got your attention again, “hey, what do you usually do with these?” His voice had an edge to it that made a chill run down your spine.

“With what?” You mutter quietly, more to yourself than him. Cautiously, you moved closer to see what he was talking about. Hunter is staring intently at the remaining pastries left in the case. “O-Oh, I uh, just wrap them up to sell for cheap tomorrow,” or you eat them, but you didn’t see the point in tacking that on. 

“i’ll take them,” he states casually, tossing some crumpled bills onto the counter. He made quick work of stuffing them into a box (and a few in his mouth).

You slip behind the counter to ring him up, and upon straightening out the bills, you realize he gave you way more than needed. “Hey, this is too much,” you looked up, intending to hand back some of the money… But he was gone.

Oh. Magic. That’s how he got in without making a sound. That piece of information unsettled you a little, not really liking that anyone could easily sneak in after closing. Although… he could have easily taken what he wanted and left without paying, but instead he did pay. Even tipped you very well. He’s definitely not the most polite person you’ve ever met, but he might not be as bad as you’d initially thought. A small part of you even felt bad for assuming the worst. Shaking your head, you double check the front door (it was indeed locked), and resume your tasks; trying not to look over your shoulder constantly.

The rest of your duties went by uneventfully, allowing you to finish in good time and hastily shower before Liz could call. The conversation started off normally, with you trying to describe your interesting neighbors and answering her questions to the best of your abilities. You decided to leave out Hunter, knowing that she would more likely than not get furious on your behalf and threaten to drive all the way back here just to give him a piece of her mind.

As the call was coming to a close, however, you were interrupted. By what distinctly sounded like someone knocking on your window. Your second story window. You go quiet and stare at the window in question, wondering if you were just hearing things.

Your silence didn’t go unnoticed by Liz, “(Y/N)? You still there?” 

“Yeah, sorry, thought I just heard something,” you were about to shrug it off as a branch tapping the glass, but then you heard it again. More persistent this time. 

Also loud enough for Liz to hear. “Is that knocking? Why are you still on the ground floor? And who’s bothering you this late at night???”

“I am on the second floor,” you mumble quietly, slowly approaching the window. It’s probably just a branch. A very determined branch. “Hold on a sec,” you say, placing the phone on your coffee table. You faintly register your sister yelling at you that she wouldn’t ‘hold on a sec’.

Hesitantly, you grab hold of the curtains, mentally chastising yourself over getting so spooked by a noise just because someone startled you earlier. You throw back the curtains, fully expecting for nothing to be out there. 

Shock is the only thing keeping you from shrieking at the sight before you. There was someone knocking at your window. Another skeleton, that much wasn’t surprising at this point. What was surprising is the state of his face. The teeth were pointing in every direction except for the ones they should be. There were numerous hairline fractures littered across his face; As well as some more prominent ones around his sockets, giving them an almost sunken appearance.

Your voice was stuck in your throat, as much as you wanted to say something, anything, you couldn’t. What happened? He had to have been attacked, right? This kind of damage doesn’t just happen by accident. Who would do something like this? And why?

“Hello!” The skeleton waved enthusiastically at you, seemingly unperturbed by his injuries. “You’re the one who made those desserts my brother brought home, yes?” He grinned up at you. At least, he tried to, but you noticed the way he winced from the movement. Some of the teeth  _ shifted _ , a sight that made you want to scream but you choked it down.

At a loss for what to say, you nodded. You also unlocked and opened the window so you could hear him better. While his voice had some volume to it, the window made it difficult to make it out clearly. It’s only now that you take in just how tall this skeleton was. He still had to stretch to reach your window, but he had to be around nine or ten feet tall.

“They were very good!” His expression morphed into one of annoyance, “But I realize my brother may have not made the best first impression, so I’m here to make up for that!” He thrusts a container into your window, “So I made you some spaghetti, my own personal recipe! I do hope you like it!” 

“Uh, thank you. That’s… very kind of you,” you take the large container from him. There’s enough in it to feed you all week. Under literally any other circumstance, you wouldn’t have even entertained the idea of accepting food from a complete stranger. But this day’s already been so damn weird, so why not? C’est la vie and all that. 

He beams from your response despite how awkward you believe it sounded, “No need to thank me, this is nothing for the great…” He scrunches his face in thought, “The great…” Orange sweat started to bead up on the side of his head, and he appeared very nervous and thoroughly embarrassed based on how much he was tugging at the collar of his sweater.

Did… Did he forget his own name? You suppose with all the head trauma he appears to have experienced, memory problems  _ would _ be par for the course. The hand that wasn’t tugging at his collar remained perched on your window sill. Deciding to give the poor man an out, you gently place your hand on top of his, “Nonsense, I really appreciate you taking the time to make this for me. Thank you.” You punctuate it with a light squeeze to his hand. Well, ‘hand’ may be a bit generous. You’re only holding onto three phalanges.

He stills at your touch, like he hadn’t been expecting it whatsoever. His cheekbones become noticeably orange, glowing brighter and brighter by the second. Breaking the trance, he brings his hand back and lifts his scarf to cover the lower half of his face. “A-And I really appreciate your gratitude!” His gaze shifts around anxiously, “Anyways! I should be going home now to keep an eye socket on Sans, it was nice meeting you!” With that he hurries off, galavanting into the surrounding woods.

Even after he’d vanished from your line of sight, you stood there, staring. It was odd. When he had his scarf pulled up like that, he really looked like Papyrus…

“(Y/N) if you don’t pick up this damn phone I’m going to come up there myself!”

You jump from the loud voice. Oh shit! Liz was still on the line! Boy do you have an update for her.


	5. O Captain, My Captain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You discover there's still another skeleton you haven't met yet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, thank you all so much for giving this fic 100+ kudos and almost 1000 hits, it means so much to me!
> 
> I meant to get this chapter out sooner, but I've had on and off migraines for the better part of a month, so progress has been slower than I would like. I hope y'all like it!

You: No way, he actually got lost???

Savant: yeah lol

me papyrus swindle and captain spent like two hours trying to find him

captain eventually found him in a tree tryin to figure out where he was using the stars or smth

he hasn’t looked us in the eyes since lol

You giggled as Savant recounted the tale of how Scout got lost in the woods surrounding their home. To be fair, that forest was absolutely massive. If you were being completely honest with yourself, you would get lost in it too. According to Savant, Scout had ventured out into the woods to practice setting up some puzzles. An odd way to spend one’s evening, but who were you to judge. No one suspected anything had gone wrong until Savant received a text hours later simply saying: VERY LOST, SEND HELP!

Scrolling back up, you focus on the fact that you don’t recognize one of the names he listed.

You: Wait, who’s Captain?

Savant: fracture’s bro

i don’t think you’ve met him

he isn’t what you’d call a people person

Interesting. Here you thought you might’ve met everyone, and there’s a mysterious tenth one. What a busy house they live in, there’s probably never a dull minute there. Especially not when one of them is getting lost in the woods and calling for a search party. As hilarious as it is, you feel a little bad for laughing so much. Poor Scout was so embarrassed that he wasn’t even with Papyrus during their routine morning jog.

You’re about to press Savant for some info on this ‘Captain’ fellow, when your text alert tone goes off. Oddly enough, it wasn’t Savant. Nor was it anyone else you had in your contacts.

???: hey

You: Who’s this?

???: don’t worry bout it

You: K I’ll just block you then :)

???: ur no fun (y/n)

Well this went from mildly annoying to creepy real fast.

???: first u won’t make a deal with me, now this

You: Wait… Swindle????

Swindle: yeah you got me

As quickly as it got creepy, it reverted back to annoying equally as fast. What did he want, and how did he get your number?

You: Ugh why do you even have my number?

Swindle: noticed savant was on his phone a lot n got curious

saw ur number n thought buggin u might be fun ;)

You: Lucky me -_-

“who ya textin’ there, sweetheart?”

You jump and drop your phone, allowing it to clatter to the floor. Snapping your attention to the voice, you find yourself looking at Fracture. Letting out a sigh, you crouch down to pick up your phone, praying it didn’t break, “Jesus Fracture, you scared the hell out of me.” You’re relieved to see the phone is fine, albeit a little dirty. Perhaps you need to sweep behind the counter more often.

Fracture lets out a throaty chuckle from your reaction, “i can see that. sincerest apologies, sweetheart.” He seems too humored to be all that sorry. You’re a little surprised to see him here, having not interacted since the diner.

“So what brings you here?”

His grin widens, an action that makes you more than a little suspicious of what his answer is going to be. Leaning over the counter, his tone turning sultry, “what? can’t a guy come and visit his partner without needin’ a reason?” 

You recoil like you’ve just been shot, an indignant noise coming out in place of any actual words. Without even looking in a mirror, you just know that your face is as red as his sweater. The few patrons that are currently in your store are shamelessly gawking at the interaction. Some are intrigued, no doubt planning on gossiping as soon as possible. There are a couple that look downright disgusted, you’re trying not to focus on them. 

Fracture laughs hard, doubling over. He’s definitely caught wind of the rumors surrounding the two of you, much to your chagrin. However unlikely, you’d hoped he would somehow manage to miss it.

“sorry sweetheart, i just had to see your reaction,” his continued chuckles once again made you doubt the legitimacy of the apology. “thought for sure you woulda heard about that by now. i’ll admit it caught me a bit off guard, but hey,” he leans in closer again, “there are worse things to be accused of.”

“Oh my god, shut up!” You giggle nervously and push his face away. “And I have heard about it, I just didn’t expect you to throw it at me like that. Now cut it out before you inspire more rumors.” It was probably too late though, you noticed a couple of patrons furiously texting already.

“alright, alright, i’ll stop. but only because you asked so nicely, sweetheart,” he put more emphasis on ‘sweetheart’ than you felt truly necessary, but weren’t about to get him going again after he just stopped taunting you.

“Oh, what a gentleman,” you drawl out, tone positively dripping in sarcasm. “So did you come here just to harass me, or was there another reason?”

“embarrassin’ you was the main reason, but since i’m already here, don’t suppose it would hurt to stick around and talk with you for a bit. maybe look around a lil,” with that he turns to roam the store. 

Fracture doesn’t spend long in the book section, nothing you have seeming to interest him enough to warrant so much as a second glance. What kind of books does he like anyways? Maybe you’ll be able to weasel the info out of him and then conveniently leave those kinds of books on the display shelf.

With his tour of the shelves complete, he meanders over to the self serve drink station to pour himself a cup of coffee. Black. Not a fan of sweet things? Damn, doesn’t like your books and probably won’t buy any pastries.Tough customer.

“how much do i owe you?” Typically the drinks are free with any purchase, and honestly you don’t get a lot of people trying to get just a drink. You’re not really sure what you would charge for that.

“Don’t worry about it. Gotta make up for you buying me dinner the other night, yeah?” You wink at him, hoping to make him blush at least a little if you throw his flirty attitude right back at him.

Doesn’t work. If anything, it amused him. Light from the window behind you glinted off his gold tooth as he smirked, “if ya really wanna make it up to me, i can think of other w-”

“No! Stop it, I told you to cut that out!” Well that backfired spectacularly. You loudly clear your throat, “Anyways! You said you wanted to talk to me, right? About what?” Not the most subtle way to change the subject, but it’ll work. You hope.

Fracture shrugs, “nothin’ in particular, mostly just wanted to learn a bit more about you and this store a’ yours.” He took the bait, thank god. “you ain’t the only one workin’ here, are you?”

“I am, can’t say I’m exactly raking in enough to afford to staff this place,” as much as you wish you could hire a cashier to man the register, or an assistant to help you in the kitchen, it just wasn’t in the books. You would barely be able to pay minimum wage, and benefits would be out of the question. You’d rather do the work yourself than screw over someone else. “Though my sister did help out a lot in the beginning.”

“sister? think i heard somethin’ about you havin’ one while at the bar.” Your face scrunches in irritation. What kind of shit are they saying about you at the bar? You’re tempted to ask, but Fracture continues. “so how come she ain’t helpin’ out anymore?”

“She’s at college now a few hours away in the big city. Studying to be a nurse, even got a scholarship. I’m, uh, really proud of her if you couldn’t tell,” you laugh nervously, having caught yourself boasting about Liz’s accomplishments yet again. 

“i’ve got a brother myself, i get it,” he casually waves off your concern about oversharing. “still,” he continues, “that’s a lot to have to deal with all on your own. i’m assumin’ you probably never get any breaks.”

“I wouldn’t say ‘never’, sometimes there’ll be an our or two when no one comes in,” Fracture looks unimpressed with your answer, “and this place is closed on Sundays. So I do get some breaks.” It’s not healthy. You know that if Liz said she was working this many hours, you’d be doing everything in your power to make it so she wouldn’t need to anymore. But, you’re nothing if not resilient!

He’s idly sipping at his coffee while fixing you with a look that you can’t  _ quite _ describe. It’s like he’s seeing right through you. Like he can somehow  _ feel  _ just how exhausted and burnt out you are. You don’t much care for it. Fracture sighs, “shit sweetheart, looks like i’m gonna have to start dragging you off to dinner more often.” He picks up one of the nearby books, wiggling it for emphasis, “see if i can get you to take a page out of my book.” 

His (admittedly successful) attempt at humor gets a chuckle out of you. You try to think of a pun to throw back at him, but are distracted by the sound of someone very aggressively stomping up the stairs to your store. You aren’t the only one who picked up on it. Fracture swears under his breath and downs the rest of his coffee, “ah shit, here we go.”

Before you can fully comprehend what he said, much less ask for some form of clarification, the door is thrown open. The door knob loudly connected with the wall, no doubt leaving an indentation. 

Everyone is staring at the entrance with a mixture of curiosity and mild fear. The first thing to come into view is a red gloved hand, clamping onto the door frame. A tall figure ducked to get through the frame comfortably. The stranger returned to his full height once he stepped inside, looking to be around seven feet tall, maybe a little more. Another skeleton. Everything about him had an edge to it. From the sharp teeth, to his cheekbones, to his seemingly clawed gloves.

He wasted no time scanning to shop, searching for something or someone. You quickly found out what exactly it was he was looking for when his piercing gaze locked with the skeleton in front of you. “ _ THIS _ IS WHERE YOU’VE BEEN HIDING? WHILE I’M METICULOUSLY PATROLLING, YOU’RE IN HERE LOLLYGAGGING?”

“sure am,” Fracture responded smoothly, “i ain’t exactly a sentry anymore.” 

“THAT IS NO EXCUSE! YOU CAN’T JUST SLACK OFF BECAUSE YOU AREN’T ONE FOR THE TIME BEING!” The sharp skeleton stomped furiously. You were concerned that his heeled boots were going to break right through the wood floor.

“that is exactly what that means, bro,” Fracture dragged his free hand down his face, sounding annoyed and like he’s had this conversation before.

Wait. He called him ‘bro’. That must mean he’s Captain! Does this mean you’ve finally met all of them? You aren’t entirely sure, to be honest. You never remember to ask how many of them there are. Now doesn’t seem to be the right time to inquire, though. The skeleton you assume to be Captain is absolutely fuming, and all your customers look like they want to bolt but can’t since he’s blocking the doorway. 

Fracture glances at you, then back to his brother, “welp, since you’re here, why not introduce yourself to our neighbor. you’ve been wanting to anyway, yeah?” 

Captain goes stiff, cheekbones glowing a soft red, “NO! I MEAN- ONLY BECAUSE I WANTED TO TELL THEM HOW LACKLUSTER THE SECURITY MEASURES AROUND HERE ARE! NOTHING MORE!” He zeroes in on you, making the most intense eye contact you’ve ever been a part of in your life as he stomps up to you. You catch a couple customers taking the opportunity to flee now that he’s moved.

Abruptly, he snatches one of your hands in his for a rough but mercifully brief handshake, “YOU MAY CALL ME CAPTAIN. I HAVE TAKEN IT UPON MYSELF TO ACT AS THE CAPTAIN OF THE GUARD HERE.”

“can there even be a captain if there’s only one person?” Fractures grin widens significantly when Captain scowls at him.

“I AM  _ NOT _ THE ONLY MEMBER, THOUGH I AM THE ONLY ONE DOING ANYTHING! NOW WOULD YOU QUIT YOUR INCESSANT FLIRTING AND! ACTUALLY! PATROL!” Captain spins on his heel with impressive elegance, striding towards the door. Before he leaves, he looks to you again, “IF YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEMS WITH RUFFIANS AROUND HERE, I ADVISE YOU CONTACT ME RATHER THAN THE PATHETIC LOCAL GUARDS!” He storms out, slamming the door shut with the same force he threw it open moments before.

The silence that follows is deafening. Customers are looking to you for answers as if you’d actually have any. All you can do is shrug helplessly. Stealing a glance at Fracture, hoping that he would be the one to break the silence. You can’t help but pick up on the  _ faintest _ red tint to his cheekbones. Between that and his refusal to make eye contact, you think that he might be a touch embarrassed. It’s almost… cute?

“So… He seems nice,” having mercy on him, you opt to speak up first.

That gets him to finally look you in the eye again, though he still appears the tiniest bit pink, “heh, yeah he’s quite the character.” Without even looking, he manages to perfectly toss his now empty coffee cup in the trash bin behind him. “i should probably be on my way now, don’t need him gettin’ any more pissy. but before i go,” his confidence is back full force, the pink tint entirely faded, “i don’t suppose i could get your number? you know, in case i get lonely while ‘patrolling’.”

You snort, but decide to indulge him, “Yeah sure, gimme your phone.” Most of that household already has your phone number anyways.

Fracture hands it over quickly and is on his way, promising to get in touch again soon. You wave him off casually tacking on that you’re looking forward to it. And you are in all honesty. He’s fun to talk to, even if he seems to love nothing more than trying to get various reactions out of you.

One of your customers pipes up, “So are you two a thing or not?”

“No!”

\---

This shift has been nothing if not interesting. No one believed you when you said that you and Fracture weren’t “a thing”. Most of them giving knowing looks, assuring you that it’s “okay” and “they understand how it can be”. Liz is most certainly going to be calling you up again sometime soon to give you more shit about the rumors.

Cleaning up the store went by surprisingly quick, so now you were powering through the prep work for tomorrow morning. You wanted nothing more than to finish and get some damn sleep. The brioche dough for caramel rolls was finally at  _ just _ the right consistency and would now need to be left to rest until morning. The goo for them would only take a couple minutes to whip up, then all you’ll have left to do is dishes. A daunting task, but one you’ve done a million times before.

As you’re setting the dough in the fridge, you swear you hear a knock from the front door. Freezing, you listen closely, praying you were just hearing things and wouldn’t need to shoo away someone who couldn’t read the sign with the store hours in bold text. There’s another knock, this time accompanied by someone loudly saying “knock knock”.

Out of instinct, you reply, “Who’s there?” You’re sure you know that voice.

“robin,” the gravelly voice calls back.

Wait a minute. You groan, “Robin who?” Out of all the things to happen today, you never expected one of them to be a certain someone to break in to tell you a knock knock joke.

You round the corner just in time to see Hunter emptying the case of its remaining pastries, he looks over his shoulder to finish the joke, “you, i’m taken all a’ these.” Despite this, you can see more crumpled bills on the counter beside him.

“So is this going to be a thing now?” Not that you’re complaining. Well, not that you’re complaining  _ too much _ . You’d definitely prefer for him to not sneak in after hours, but he seemed harmless enough thus far, if a bit unsettling. 

Hunter shrugs, “probably, you should get used to it.” With the last cookie haphazardly thrown in the container, he properly focused on you. His gaze held an air of suspicion to it. The singular, red eye stared intensely at you. It was uncomfortably fleshy, not something that seemed right on a skeleton. “heard you met my bro last night.”

His bro? Oh! That Papyrus look-alike! “The really tall guy? Yeah, he brought over some spaghetti for me,” spaghetti that you had absolutely inhaled after taking a bite. Despite the absurd amount, you’d managed to eat around half of it in one sitting. You couldn’t remember the last time you’d had a proper home cooked meal, much less one so delicious. Odds are, the spaghetti wouldn’t last the night. “It was  _ really _ good. Is he a chef? Because he definitely could be.”

The compliments noticeably relaxed Hunter. A light smile tugs at the corners of his mouth, “nah, but you’re right. my bro can make a  _ killer _ meal.” Hunter chuckled at what you’re assuming to be some sort of inside joke. 

“What’s his name anyways, I don’t think I caught it last night,” that was probably the gentlest way you could mention his brother managing to not remember his own name. Surely having a family member with such severe memory issues was hard enough without a stranger bringing it up.

Hunter grimaced, likely piecing together what had happened, “he forgot, didn’t he?” Nevermind, definitely pieced it together. Not waiting for a response, he continued, “look, he can get his wires crossed sometimes. mixing up words, forgetting things, that kind of shit. do me, and him, a favor and don’t draw attention to it.”

His blood-red eye closely examined you. Searching for what, you didn’t know. “he goes by flint.” He takes a couple steps towards you, still staring, still looking. Of course, you’re staring too. Before all this, you’d never properly taken in his appearance. Namely the gaping hole in his head. Despite its severity, it wasn’t as outwardly disturbing as Flint’s dental situation. Still, you can’t imagine the pain he felt when he got that, nor the ache that must surely accompany it to this day. It makes you feel a pang of guilt for judging him so quickly last night, even if what he did was shady as all hell.

Hunter sighs, finally breaking the staring contest, “welp, i oughta get going. see you tomorrow.”

He turns to leave, but you stop him, “Hey, wait.” He freezes and eyes you over his shoulder, giving a grunt of acknowledgment. “Tell Flint I said thank you for the food and that I loved it, I didn’t get the chance to say so last night.” Honestly, you’re more than a little worried that your shocked state came off as rude to him.

Hunter’s sockets widen briefly, before settling down into an almost… soft look? “heh, sure kid.” You think he’s about to leave, but again, he turns back to face you, “on second thought, give me your phone. you can tell him yourself, he’d like that. call him, don’t text.” He doesn’t elaborate on why you shouldn’t text Flint. It doesn’t take long for him to enter the number and hand it back to you. As soon as the phone hits your palms, Hunter simply blinks out of existence. That’s one way to make a dramatic exit, you suppose. 

Absentmindedly, you scroll through your contacts, basking in the warm feeling that comes from seeing all the new names in it. For once, they’re not just clients. Before this, the only person you ever spoke to for non-work related reasons was Liz. Now you’ve got a whole plethora of skeletons to talk to. Including Hunter, it seems. You can’t help but smile slightly upon noticing he added his own contact info as well.

Shaking your head, you force yourself to get back to your duties, eager to finish up and get upstairs so you can have dinner. And hell, maybe even give Flint a ring if it’s not too late. That sounds like a nice way to end your night.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not gonna guarantee any sort of update schedule, but will update at least once a month  
> Have some questions about the fic? Come talk to me on tumblr https://fightingforahappyending.tumblr.com !


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